Just found out we're 35 weeks gone

jamesie1

The title tells the story and as you can imagine I'm in complete shock... This will be our first I hope.

Has anybody ever heard of this before?

Any suggestions on practical things I need to do asap in order to help my wife...

My head is all over the shop:)

Moonbeam

The poor lady is probably in shock ,if she did not know that she was pregnant.
Be really nice to her!!
If you need baby stuff mention it here and people might pass on some stuff that they do not need anymore.
Help her organise things ike maternity leave as it will be an exceptioinal case.
Congratulations:))

Plazaman

Woohoo, congratulations. Great news and even though you've less time to prepare than normal, there's still time.

Obviously go down all the professional avenues you can avail of re ante natal classes etc. Stick close to your own Doctors and don't be afraid to bombard them with questions, in the circumstancesm they'll understand. No harm buying one of those childbirth books in any health section of a bookstore.

Make lists of what you need to do/buy/prepare and plan trip around Argos or some Nursery Type store some morning to budget.

Best of luck to ye both and congrats again.

jamesie1

Thanks for the nice replies. She is over the moon that all seems to be ok.. I would imagine it's relief more than anything else...

I still can't believe it.. only 5 weeks to go...:eek:

Casey_81

Wow congratulations!! That is amazing news.

RachaelVO

HOLEY MOLEY!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!

You'll be demented for the next few weeks. Concentrate of the basics first

Cot
Pram/Buggy
Blankets
Sheets
Nappies (get a pack or two of new borns, and then a few packs a few sizes up)
New born soothers (depending on whether you want to use them or not)
Bottles (depending on whether baby will be breastfed or not)
My all time standard advice is to get a load of terri nappies. Not to use as nappies, but they are handy as towels, going over your shoulder... they are unbelievably handy!
All in one vests
Baby grows (dead handy)
Thermometer
A few cardigans and a cotton hat for leaving the hospital.

If you do get a jacket for your unexpected bundle, get one that is a wee bit big (not too big now), it's easier to get on and off!

Anything else you might need can get done along they way, once you have the basics then you can think about the rest.

Oh, and then wait for your life to NEVER be the same again. It's a rollercoaster, and you're gonna love every bit of it!!!

staker

Nice one Jamesie no advice just try stay calm and collected,pressure for tyres and all that.:)

ghosttown

Congrats !!
Car seat not mentioned above - they won't let you leave hospital without one!!

And if your bedroom not very dark, get black out curtains as it's a summer baby - a definite need to help with sleep. Daylight will wake the little one for sure.

If I think of more I'll let you know !

jamesie1

That is great stuff... Really appreciate the replies...

I had not even thought about the bright room.. One more thing to add to this ever growing to do list:)

RachaelVO

ghosttown wrote: »

Congrats !!
Car seat not mentioned above - they won't let you leave hospital without one!!

And if your bedroom not very dark, get black out curtains as it's a summer baby - a definite need to help with sleep. Daylight will wake the little one for sure.

If I think of more I'll let you know !

Yeah, the car seat. Forgot about that one myself. That happens when baby is a toddler
The "cosy toe" that goes with it too, keeps baba warm. They will want to make sure you have enough blankets to keep him/her warm leaving the hospital too and the cosy toe is like a sleeping bag specifically for your car seat!

LisaLowlife

Awww congrats!!! That's mental how far into it you both found out!!
Wish you all the best

http://www.babynames.org.uk/

As a recent father - I looked into everything I could before hand, and got the best my research could advise. Please note - what is below is what I found to be best, I'm sure others opinions will differ.

Get the books:

What to expect when you're expecting and
What to expect in first year - same author.

These books were great and easy to get through.

I got the best deal on our pram in Rathcoole, I'll say no more. We got a pram that has a buggy, can fit the car seat and was very light weight. Light weight is important.

If you can get a set where it's one base that everything fits on - it's very handy. Our set was mammas and pappas, called the Sola. It works great for us.

Have a chat about breastfeeding and decide what you are going to do. Regardless - have a steraliser and bottles ready, and have practiced in advance how to make them up. It's very easy - but if you have a screaming child in the background the first time you try it will be tough.

Get blackout curtains, and get bibs and burping clothes.

Get a small bath tub that is easy to use and ideally supports the baby.

Get a changing mat and a changing bag. Having a bag purely for moving the child around is essential. The changing mat believe it or not makes life so much easier.

Changing table is optional - we got it but never used it much.

Get a rocker - very handy in a few weeks time.

Get a baby monitor - never too early to have this.

Get a hot pack for your lower back - leaning over changing nappies killed my back but I'm pretty tall so maybe that was the problem. Anyway - I used this and it helped.

Get really really great coffee. Learn to like ground and freshly made coffee - if you don't have one, invest in a stove top espresso maker. This was just me - but there were times I was so happy for the comfort of a strong coffee.

For the next year - when your wife says jump, jump. When you disagree with her, find a way of pointing this out without in anyway disagreeing with her. Give her all the support you can, and always put yourself first to do chores, no matter how tired you are. However tired or stressed or fed up you may feel - don't go on about it to your wife - chances are she will be the same or worse, and will take comfort from the fact that you seem fine.

If you are on this site asking questions it shows that you care a lot - this is all you need to be a great parent.

Good luck - PM me if you want any specifics.

Cat Melodeon

Wow! Well, first of all excuse your wife for any oddly hormonal behaviour she might have been displaying over the last 7-8 months!

Then, get yourselves into some antenatal classes as soon as ye can, preferably at the hospital where the baby will be born. Most parents have a few months to come to terms with the idea of a new arrival - you guys need to look at birth plans and sleeping arrangements from the get-go!

A friend of mine wasn't in the same situation in that she got pregnant as a teen and denied being pregnant until her mum discovered her in labour - but she did manage to give birth to a perfectly healthy baby despite not having any antenatal care and once the baby was born both she and her mum fell in love with him completely, so no bonding issues either despite the surprise.

Whether you have months or days to prepare, the shock of a first baby is always a bit of a shock - no amount of preparation really shows you how it's going to be. The only advice I can give is take it as it comes, do whatever feels right for your family and don't stress too much about having all the baby paraphernalia. Nappies, babygros, a car seat, a warm place to sleep and lots of love and patience are all you really need. Beyond that, it's all bonus material.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

testicle

staker wrote: »

stress for tyres and all that.:)

Pressure is for tyres!

irishmanmick

Congrats OP!

Must have been a shock! At least you don't have the big long wait to see your little bundle of joy. Make sure you try take care of all the housework etc when the baby is born. If yours is anything like mine she want to make sure the place gets a tidy before the visitors start arriving. You'll be exhausted as well and the place will probably be fine but tell her to relax and look after baby and you do the tidying up.

Best of luck with it!

jamesie1

Thanks a lot for all the replies... After a hectic day I am starting to see the light:)

How Strange

Wow! Congrats! I've got ads on adverts.ie selling a few bits. Take a look and if you're close to Dublin 10 and interested you can have them for free obviously.

jamesie1

How Strange, that's a very generous offer but unfortunately I'm a long way from Dublin. Thanks anyway, am very touched by all the nice replies today.

Khannie

ghosttown wrote: »

get black out curtains as it's a summer baby - a definite need to help with sleep. Daylight will wake the little one for sure

Great advice. We have them on all the kids rooms (and our own ).

We got our travel system (car seat, pram and buggy in "one") on ebay and saved a fortune. Definitely worth checking it out. If you're 35 weeks now baby could arrive at any time. Pack the hospital bag today or some time in the near future. A quick google should tell you what's good for it. Stuff I remember being useful:

Solpadeine
sponge (sponging water over a sore fanny can really help when peeing shortly after baby arrives)
clean knickers (don't bother with disposable ones, they're flippin' horrible yokes. Just get cheap cotton ones and throw them away)
dressing gown
night gown
towels
clothes for baby
cellular blanket for baby
nappies
wipes
cotton balls
I'm sure I've forgotten loads.

good luck!

NextSteps

Use any spare time to do a mega spring clean (assuming your place needs it!). It's so good to come home to a nice house with the new baby, when you'll be spending a lot of time at home, with very little time to do anything. And either fill the freezer with food, or get in a lot of takeaway menus!

And most of all - enjoy these weeks! Go out for dinner and be a couple at every chance.

And just about breastfeeding, if you're going for it (and there are so many reasons to), don't buy formula, bottles etc. Assume it's going to work, and it will. That's my experience anyhow.

Good luck -it's wonderful!

qwertytlk

jamesie1, CONGraTULATIONS!! Wow 35 weeks gone, and i thought i was bad only finding out i was pregnant at 24 weeks!!!! i was really worried about not havng much time to prepare, as im sure you are but dont worry. Have you any other children? if not then i have a good list of all baby things you will need for the birth and when baby comes home. Have you found out the sex?

jamesie1

qwertytlk wrote: »

jamesie1, CONGraTULATIONS!! Wow 35 weeks gone, and i thought i was bad only finding out i was pregnant at 24 weeks!!!! i was really worried about not havng much time to prepare, as im sure you are but dont worry. Have you any other children? if not then i have a good list of all baby things you will need for the birth and when baby comes home. Have you found out the sex?

This will be our first Qwertylk and no, we haven't found out the sex yet. Perhaps today.

January

Khannie wrote: »

Great advice. We have them on all the kids rooms (and our own ).

We got our travel system (car seat, pram and buggy in "one") on ebay and saved a fortune. Definitely worth checking it out. If you're 35 weeks now baby could arrive at any time. Pack the hospital bag today or some time in the near future. A quick google should tell you what's good for it. Stuff I remember being useful:

Solpadeine
sponge (sponging water over a sore fanny can really help when peeing shortly after baby arrives)
clean knickers (don't bother with disposable ones, they're flippin' horrible yokes. Just get cheap cotton ones and throw them away)
dressing gown
night gown
towels
clothes for baby
cellular blanket for baby
nappies
wipes
cotton balls
I'm sure I've forgotten loads.

good luck!

PJ's for the missus,
Maternity pads (the big green ones are great for the first day or two)

Moonbeam

You lot keep restring my faith in humanity:)

I am a friend

Ah that's such great news - congrats! Am only on no 1 myself and way behind ye so I have no experience to give but I would suggest you rally the trooPs meaning get your family and friends to help ye prepare.. Am sure they will be delighted to!

Best of luck

lynski

hey congrats.
re hearing about it happening before here is alink to a story about it happening in canada last yr - except she found out in labor. (i post this because I am related to the doc, and he experienced this in Dublin while working there too.
http://www.cbncompass.ca/News/2009-01-20/article-1502400/Mean-spirited-remarks/1

In fact according to Dr. Olalekan Akintola, the obstetrician who delivered baby Nicholas, unexpected births are not as rare as many may think.

"It's not as uncommon as people think. I've been in Newfoundland about eight months and this is the second case of a surprised birth that I've been involved in," says Dr. Akintola. "The first woman came to the hospital with extreme stomach pain and constipation and was found to be pregnant and about to give birth."

One of the doctors' most memorable deliveries occurred on a small island in Dublin, Ireland.

"A woman came to emergency with abdominal pain and upon examination was told she was pregnant. She was sent to the maternity room to give birth and when she did, had twins! When the husband came in a while later to see how his wife was feeling, what was causing her to be ill, we had to break the news to him that he was a father, not just of one child, but two. The poor man was completely shocked!"

According to the doctor it is also common for women to experience bleeding during pregnancy.

"There are lots of reasons why a woman could bleed while pregnant that could be mistaken as a menstrual period," he says. "The position of the placenta could certainly cause bleeding or there could be an abnormality around the neck of the womb. This is why prenatal care is so very important. The body and mind are both powerful and tricky and it is definitely possible for a woman to not know she is pregnant until she's about to give birth. There are many documented cases of women in similar situations all over the world."

Megan Reeves, associate producer of Mike Mathis Productions, Inc. in Los Angeles echoes doctor Akintola's view. Reeves who called The Compass Jan.8 looking for Juanita's phone number said:"We heard about Juanita through the Internet and wanted to include her story in a future show. When we first thought about doing a show on women who had given birth without knowing they were pregnant, we thought it was a rare occurrence, but it didn't turn out that way. Many women contacted us with their stories, so many, we decided to run a series of stories on the topic."

The first series of shows entitled I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant aired June, 2008 and again on Jan 13. Some of the stories can be viewed on
http://health.discovery.com/tv/i-didnt-know-i-was-pregnant/about.html

I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant is a compelling documentary special that explores the surprising phenomenon of women who were completely unaware that they were pregnant until they went into labour.

Hannibal Smith

wow! Congratulations to you both, I've nothing more to add to the great advice you've got, except for you lucky so and so's

jamesie1

Just to give you all an update.. A very healthy 6.5lb baby boy was born yesterday, 6 days after we found out of the pregnancy.

All is well with both baby and mother, in fact things could not be better.

Thanks for all the advice and well wishes for the last week.

January

Wow... congratulations!

bulmersgal

hard to believe last week you didn't know about him and now you've a gorg little son. What a great suprise!

congrats!